Buena Vista/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Warning Screen
USA AND CANADA WARNINGS 1970s-Early 1980s Warning: On a dark screen, we see the yellow words: NOTICE: "LICENSED ONLY FOR NON-COMMERCIAL PRIVATE EXHIBITION IN HOMES. ALL RIGHTS UNDER COPYRIGHT RESERVED" FX/SFX: None. Music/Sounds: None. Availability: Extremely rare, as it appears at the beginning of some Disney Super 8mm digests from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Scare Factor: None. 1980-1983 Warning: On a blue background, we see a black box with the letters "FBI" and the FBI logo below that on the left side of the screen. Above and to the right is the word "WARNING" in yellow, and below that is the white warning text (shown above). The screen fades to a blue screen with the yellow text (in Times New Roman font): Licensed for private home exhibition only. Any public performance, copying or other use is strictly prohibited. All other rights reserved. Variants: * The order of the screens is reversed on some videos. * Canadian copies replace the FBI screen, with a third screen similar to the second, except in a Helvetica font. This variation is put before the standard warning text: Duplication in whole or in part of this videocassette is prohibited. FX/SFX: None. Music/Sounds: None, which all these FBI warnings are famous for. Availability: Appears on releases from 1980-1983, such as The Black Hole, Pete's Dragon, and Escape to Witch Mountain. Scare Factor: None. 1983-1984 Warning: It's almost the same as the 1981-2004 Warner Home Video warning screen, but "WARNING" is gray and the background is poppy red. Then the screen fades to the same blue "Licensed" screen mentioned above. FX/SFX: None. Cheesy Factor: Same as before. Availability: Seen on releases from 1983-1984 (excluding Canadian copies) such as Tex, Condorman and later printings of Tron. Can be spotted on the Muppet Home Video release of Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. Scare Factor: None. 1984-1991 Warning: On a white background, we see a red-orange vertical bar at the left of the screen containing the white text "FBI" and a white FBI logo below that. At the right of the bar, in the Exotic Bold font, is the standard FBI Warning text seen in 1 and 2. Each screen lasts about eight seconds before fading out. Variants: * Some releases in 1990-1991 would have all of the text in a Goudy Old Style font. * Walt Disney World videos had all of the text in a different sans serif font. The warning text beside the FBI logo is black instead of the usual red. Also, the phrase "ANY PUBLIC PERFORMANCE, COPYING OR OTHER USE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED." is included in both screens. * On some releases, the first screen would slideshow to the next, rather than fading out. * There is a variant in which the second screen fades in to a red background, and the text fading in after that. This version has text that looks chyroned in. * On Canadian releases only, there is a variant in which the warning text fades to red, and then the Duplication notice fades in. This verson has chyroned text. * There is a special "rainbow" variant on videos from Walt Disney Educational Productions in the 1980s. Despite its nickname, however, the background is actually a lavender/prawn gradient. * The "protoype" 1984 version has modified text. * On the 1991 release of Fantasia (one of the last VHS tapes to use this warning screen), length of time each warning is on screen is cut in half, making it four seconds instead of the usual eight. * Sometimes, the red area will be gold instead. FX/SFX: None. Cheesy Factor: Same as before. Availability: Seen on releases from 1984-1991, like Winnie the Pooh and Friends and Robin Hood. It can also be seen on 1985-1991 Touchstone Home Video releases and early Hollywood Pictures Home Video releases as well. The version with the Goudy Old Style font was seen only on a few WDHV releases (including Disney Sing-Along Songs: You Can Fly and Sebastian's Caribbean Jamboree). The one with the different font than the standard (which slideshows) can be seen on old 80s Walt Disney World promotional videos. The one with the font that fades in after the background is extremely rare, and can be seen on the original release of The Brave Little Toaster, the 1991 Canadian VHS print of The Rescuers Down Under, and the Mini-Classics release of Peter and the Wolf. The one (which slideshows) can be spotted on the 1988 American print of Alice in Wonderland. The prototype variation is rare. However, it can be spotted on the original 1984 print of Splash (to name one). Scare Factor: None. May 1986-Early 1987, 1989, 1991 Warning: On a dark red background, we see a rounded rectangle with FBI and its logo on the side and the standard-issue warning on the other. Then it slideshows to the next logo, whose words are in a bold Helvetica font. Canadian Variants: On Canadian copies only, the warning screen would slideshow to the Duplication notice. On French Canadian copies, the warnings are translated to French, and like its English counterpart, it follows the same format. This warning was used up until 1991 on Disney videos released in Quebec. FX/SFX: None. Cheesy Factor: Same as before. Availability: Rare. However, it can be found on the original Classics print of Sleeping Beauty, as well as the 1986 Classics reprint of Pinocchio and an early 1987 print of The Three Caballeros. It can also be seen on most 1986 Disney tapes (your best bet are ones that also have the Video Dealer Announcement on them). This was also found on American copies of Ruthless People, while Canadian copies use the previous warning screen (with the Video Dealer Announcement intact on both versions). For some reason, this was surprisingly spotted on demo tapes of Big Business, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Mr. Destiny, and The Rescuers Down Under. The Video Dealer Announcement was omitted on the original VHS/Beta release of Disney Sing-Along Songs: Heigh-Ho (later pre-1990 printings omitted the warning screens entirely) and the first five Walt Disney Cartoon Classics volumes. The first tape that used this warning, however, is the 1986 release of Winnie The Pooh and a Day For Eeyore (which was also the debut of the 1986 WDHV logo). Scare Factor: Low. September 7, 1991-May 29, 2000 Warning: Same as warning screen 5, except the background is grass green and the words are bolder. In late 1997, the fonts were revised and the second screen was rephrased, replacing "LICENSED FOR PRIVATE HOME EXHIBITION ONLY" with "THIS VIDEOCASSETTE (or DVD or LASERDISC) IS FOR PRIVATE HOME VIEWING ONLY. IT IS NOT LICENSED FOR ANY OTHER USE." The fade in on this second variant is also faster. Variants: * A Spanish translation is used on Mexican tapes. * The word "VIDEOCASSETTE"or "DVD" may be replaced with "VHS OR DVD" in the 1997 version. * There is also a rare DVD variant of the 1991 warning screens available, with the FBI seal a bit bolder. * On some 1998-2000 DVD releases, the 1997 warning screens slideshow. FX/SFX: None. Cheesy Factor: Same as before. Availability: This warning screen is found on almost every Walt Disney Home Video release (standard, Classic, or Masterpiece) from the 90s. The first tapes to use this warning screen were the 1991 releases of Pollyanna, Old Yeller, The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, 20,00 Leagues Under the Sea, In Search of the Castaways, Treasure Island, The Three Lives of Thomasina, The Love Bug, Kidnapped, The Apple Dumpling Gang, Candleshoe, and The Story of Robin Hood. This warning screen can also be spotted on any Buena Vista Home Video, Hollywood Pictures Home Video, Dimension Home Video, Miramax Home Entertainment, and Touchstone Home Video releases from the 90s, too. Also seen on NCircle/DiC DVD releases and DiC ToonTime Video tapes such as Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Inspector Gadget: Gadget's Greatest Gadgets, and Sailor Moon. The DVD variant of the 1991 FBI screens can be found on the earliest Disney DVDs from 1997, such as Air Bud, George of The Jungle, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, and a few other releases from the time. It can also be seen on tapes from a few non-Disney/Buena Vista companies, like VCI videos from the late 80s-late 90s (which only showed the first screen), and tapes from Everland/Word Entertainment like some rare 1995 copies of VeggieTales: Are You My Neighbor? (albeit colored blue instead of green). Strangely, it also appeared on DVD prints of Baby Einstein episodes from 2000 to 2002 (VHS prints had the 1988 IVE/LIVE/Artisan/Lionsgate warning instead) and appeared on Anchor Bay Entertainment releases of Disney films such as Big Red and The Cat from Outer Space. Don't expect to find this on Disney VHS releases of Baby Einstein, however; they either use no warning screen (instead sometimes opting for Baby Einstein's own special warning) or the 8th warning. Surprisingly, this appears as a box on a white background at the start of the 2015 documentary Strange Matters. Scare Factor: Low. 1991-Early 2000s Warning: An enhanced version of the 1984 warning. On a blue background, we see a red vertical bar at the left of the screen containing the white text "FBI" in bold and a colored FBI logo below that. At the right of the bar, in the Times New Roman font, is the standard FBI Warning text seen in 2 and 4. FX/SFX: None. Music/Sounds: None. Availability: Rare; seen on 1990s Walt Disney Educational Productions tapes, as well as Bill Nye the Science Guy DVDs from WDEP. Scare Factor: Low to medium. May 30, 2000-October 25, 2005 Warning: Same as the 1999 First Look warning screen, but with the second screen using the 1997-2000 version now in lowercase. On DVDs, the FBI Warning would cut right to the second screen instead of fading to black to the second screen, and the word "DVD" replaces "Videocassette". In 2003, the second screen was modified to include more info. Variants: * A Spanish translation is used on Mexican tapes. * On all Canadian VHS releases only (as well as DVD's), it skips to the 2nd screen. * On DVDs and later VHS, it slideshowed. FX/SFX: None. Cheesy Factor: Same as warnings 2 to 6. Availability: It first appeared on the 2000 VHS of Geppetto. It appears on all Disney/Buena Vista VHS/DVD releases from this era. It also appeared on the 2005 VHS of Herbie: Fully Loaded, released on October 25, 2005, despite the fact that the DVD uses the 9th warning. Scare Factor: Low. 2005-2013 Warning: Same as the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Anti-Piracy Warning. FX/SFX: None. Availability: Found on most Disney/Buena Vista releases from 2005-2013. However, Blu-ray releases had this warning until 2011. Strangely, Disney Movie Club Exclusive VHS releases from 2006-2007 (after Bambi II), such as the 2006 VHS releases of Valiant, the Platinum Edition of Lady and the Tramp, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Brother Bear 2, along with the extremely rare 2007 VHS of Cars, use no warning screen at all. Scare Factor: None. 2011-present Warning: For the first screen of the 10th warning, on a black background, we see the word "WARNING" at the top of the screen, in fire engine red, with Warning text in white. After the first one, it cuts to "ANTI-PIRACY WARNING", now in small fire engine red, with Warning text in white. FX/SFX: None. Cheesy Factor: Same as warnings 2 to 6 and 8. Availability: On most Disney/Buena Vista Blu-ray and DVD releases from this era. Scare Factor: None. 2011-present (Alternate) Warning: On a black background, we see the "FBI ANTI-PIRACY WARNING" logo at the top from before, this time aligned to the left. To the right of the logo is the Department of Homeland Security badge. Below is the warning text. FX/SFX: None Availability: Same as before. Scare Factor: None. INTERNATIONAL WARNINGS EUROPEAN WARNINGS 1982-1984 Warning: On a blue screen, we see something along the lines of Licensed for private home viewing only. The proprietor of this videocassette is (NAME OF LOCAL DISNEY DIVISION) All rights reserved to Walt Disney Productions. Transmissions, reproductions, and duplications violate the copyright and are punished according to law. The warning is always in the language of the tape's home country (the Italian version is shown above). FX/SFX: None. Availability: Extremely rare. Seen on European tapes of the period, including the UK release of Blackbeard's Ghost. Scare Factor: None. 1984-1986 TBA 1986-1987 TBA 1987-Early 1990s Buena_Vista_1983_Warning_Screen.png Buena_Vista_1988_Warning_Screen.png Warning: We fade in to see a white warning text in Souvenir font on a dark blue background. It reads: THIS MOTION PICTURE, INCLUDING ITS SOUND TRACK, IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT AND ANY BROADCAST, PUBLIC PERFORMANCE, DIFFUSION, COPYING AND EDITING ARE PROHIBITED UNLESS EXPRESSLY AUTHORISED. THIS CASSETTE IS FOR HOME USE ONLY. and we fade out. Variant: There is an early version where the text in a Helvetica font. FX/SFX: None. Availability: As seen on VHS tapes from 1983 to 1990, including Pinocchio, Good Morning, Vietnam, Sleeping Beauty, Benji the Hunted, and Mary Poppins. Scare Factor: None. 1990-2005 Buena_Vista_1990_Warning_Screen.png|1990 Version Buena_Vista_1992_Warning_Screen.png|1992 Version Buena_Vista_1995_Warning_Screen.png|1995 Version Buena_Vista_1997_Warning_Screen.png|1997 Version BUENA_VISTA_1999_WARNING_SCREEN.jpg|1999 Version Warning: On a dark blue background is a white message in Helvetica Light Font reading: THIS MOTION PICTURE, INCLUDING ITS SOUNDTRACK, IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT AND ANY BROADCAST, PUBLIC PERFORMANCE, DIFFUSION, COPYING AND EDITING ARE PROHIBITED UNLESS EXPRESSLY AUTHORISED. THIS CASSETTE IS FOR HOME USE ONLY. Variants: *The font changes to a bolder version of Helvetica in 1993 and 1995 and then to Helvetica Condensed in 1997. *Starting in 1999, The word "ARE" is replaced with "IS" in the warning text. *On timecoded and demo tapes the text below is replaced by THIS PREVIEW CASSETTE REMAINS THE PROPERTY OF BVHE. NOT FOR SALE OR RENTAL". FX/SFX: None. Availability: As seen on VHS tapes released by Buena Vista Home Video/Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Walt Disney Home Video/Disney Videos/Walt Disney Home Entertainment from 1990 to 2005, such as Bambi, As You Like It, Aladdin, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Return of Jafar, Toy Story, Oliver and Company, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Reign of Fire, Jackie Brown, Pulp Fiction, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Lilo & Stitch, The Haunted Mansion, Brother Bear, and The Incredibles. 1999-present BUENA_VISTA_HOME_ENTERTAINMENT_2000_DVD_WARNING_SCREEN.png BUENA_VISTA_HOME_ENTERTAINMENT_2005_DVD_WARNING_SCREEN.png BUENA_VISTA_HOME_ENTERTAINMENT_2009_DVD_WARNING_SCREEN.png Warning: On a black background, white warning text with WARNING above in red. Variants: *On later DVDs the font and the text can change. *The text will be in different languages depending on which language you pick. *On releases outside the UK, the "Original packaging of this product" notice is removed. FX/SFX: None Music/Sounds: None, but on the English Audio Descriptive version a female voiceover reads the text. Availability: Seen on UK and international Buena Vista/Disney DVDs, such as 101 Dalmatians, A Bug's Life, Aladdin, Alice in Wonderland, The Aristocats, Bambi, Basil the Great Mouse Detective, Beauty and the Beast, The Black Cauldron, Cinderella, Dumbo, Fantasia, Fantasia 2000, Finding Nemo, The Fox and the Hound, Hercules, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Incredibles, The Jungle Book, The Jungle Book's Jungle Cubs - Born to be Wild, Lady and the Tramp, Lilo and Stitch, The Lion King, Around the World with Timon and Pumbaa, The Little Mermaid, Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, Monsters Inc, Mulan, Oliver and Company, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Pocahontas, The Rescuers, The Rescuers Down Under, Robin Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Sword in the Stone, Tarzan, The Tigger Movie, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ''and ''Winnie the Pooh's Most Grand Adventure. Scare Factor: None. Australian Warning Screens 1982-1994 See Roadshow Home Video/Entertainment Warning Screen for details. 1994-2004 Warning: On a black-blue gradient background, we see the warning screen scrolling up. The word WARNING fades in above. FX/SFX: The scrolling of the warning. Music/Sounds: None. Availability: Seen on Australia VHS tapes like Pokemon 4Ever, Dumbo, and Toy Story. Scare Factor: None. Category:Warning Screens